


War Paint

by mydramaticflair (rainbowshirbert)



Series: Taking Flight (HTTYD Oneshots) [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Astrid's competitive bc I love her, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Hiccstrid - Freeform, dragon racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23919199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowshirbert/pseuds/mydramaticflair
Summary: Face paint has a different meaning for Astrid than the other riders.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Taking Flight (HTTYD Oneshots) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724164
Kudos: 39





	War Paint

**Author's Note:**

> So I post most of my oneshots on Wattpad, but I'm putting a few I like on her until I can edit the ones I don't :) Enjoy!

**Berk's 400th Anniversary**

Astrid had a ton of things to worry about between Hiccup's bounty and her performance at the parade for her island's anniversary. But as she was getting ready, all she felt was confidence. 

She and Heather had been rehearsing for weeks now and she knew she could do the trick without any problem. The only worry was that it wouldn't please the crowd, but she wasn't really concerned.

Until Tuffnut came.

"You know, you guys should add some flair to your whole thing," he suggested. "Ruff and I are setting stuff on fire. You're clinking axes together while jumping off a dragon. People can barely even see it, probably."

"Just because we don't want to explode things doesn't mean our performance is bad," Astrid said, putting a hand on her hip. 

"C'mon, A. Add some festivity. Bring some style into the thing. This is our island's birthday."

"All you're doing is polluting the air," Heather pointed out. "Astrid and I are fine. You can figure out your own performance."

"I was only giving you a recommendation." Tuff shrugged. "Anyway, my sister and I are going to get ready. Don't be alarmed if you hear an explosion."

"It won't be anything out of the ordinary," Astrid muttered, but her friend didn't hear, and probably wouldn't be insulted anyway. As he left, she turned to Heather and said, "Maybe he's right. We should add something."

"Like what?" Heather asked. "We have a cool idea. I think we're good."

"It'll just make it more special," Astrid said, looking around at the other performers. "Wait a minute. I'll ask Hiccup."

Heather shrugged and waved her off while Astrid climbed onto Stormfly and flew to the chief's house. Ever since she and Hiccup had become friends, she had visited him often there, at least when he wasn't in the forge with Gobber. She knew Stoick was probably working still and after dismounting her dragon, she opened the door without worry and climbed up the stairs to find Hiccup dozing off, Toothless on his own bed as well.

She walked to him and shook his shoulders, hearing him mumbled before he opened his eyes and yelped.

"Astrid! What the-"

"Tuffnut had an idea, and I think I got one from his. I just want to make sure it'll work."

He sat up in his bed before blushing and just standing up, starting to walk toward the stairs. "Okay, I'm all ears, but can we let Toothless sleep? We can talk outside."

"Sure."

"Cool." He scratched his neck awkwardly and gestured with his hand. "Um, you can go first."

She walked down and went out the door where Stormfly was waiting. She squawked hopefully at the upper floor of the house, but Astrid put a hand on her snout comfortingly. "Sorry, girl, he's resting."

Stormfly took the moment to lay down as well and follow her friend's lead while Astrid leaned against her. "So, Tuffnut was saying Heather and I didn't have enough 'flare' to our performance. I dismissed it of course, but he gave me an idea. Face paint."

"What?"

"You're a good artist, Hiccup. You can paint our faces, and it'll add a bit to the occasion. Make it look a bit more festive. It's like war paint, but for a party."

He nodded carefully. "That's a pretty good idea. But we don't really have any paint."

"I can crush up some berries and flowers to make it. People will eat it up. Isn't it a pretty good idea?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it is. I'll get Snotlout to help you with the paint, he needs something to do. And Fishlegs can find some nice flowers to use."

"Cool." She grinned at him. "This is awesome. You'll help me with it? I don't think I can paint myself without looking into a mirror."

His cheeks went a bit pink. "Yeah, I can apply it."

"You're the best." She ran off to find Fishlegs, calling over her shoulder, "You can go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when I need you."

He waved and nodded, yawning as he walked back into his home. She smiled and sprinted to the Ingerman household, knocking on the door this time. She'd barely stepped foot in his home.

His mother opened the door and immediately called for her son when she noticed Astrid. Fishlegs jogged down the steps before stopping and going slower when realizing it was only her.

"Hey Astrid, what's up?"

"I need flowers that will work for paint. Do you have any ideas?"

He looked at his mom. "Yeah, I do. Can I go?"

She nodded and he looked like he was going to let out a squeal for being allowed to unleash his botanical knowledge, but kept it inside to her relief. They walked out and Astrid chose to ignore Hiccup's idea of bringing Snotlout along-he would make things worse, and Fishlegs was actual good company most of the time. When she was in a good mood.

He led her to a valley and instructed her to pick certain flowers, which she did, and when they got back to town the mashed the colors into separate bowls. Heather came around to inspect and Snotlout too, but he left when he proclaimed the procedure "boring and nerdy," while Heather left the two of them alone after a few minutes of probing questions that Astrid answered impatiently, trying to focus on the pounding.

When they were finally done, she looked at their creation with pride and experimentally places a green half-circle around Fishleg's (double) chin. They both smiled as it worked, and she added an orange one at his insistence.

Tuffnut happened to be walking by as that happened and whooped. "Heck to the yeah! Astrid, do mine!"

"No way."

He glared at her. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

With much flare he tossed off his helmet, picked up the yellow paint, smashed into into his face,and then added some black along with it, slammed the paint bowls back down, and replaced his helmet on his head, giving her the stink eye.

"Want me to do yours?" Fishlegs offered, shaking off Tuffnut's disturbance.

"I think Hiccup's going to do it."

"Ah."

She looked at him weirdly as he fought to contain a smile. "What?"

"Nothing."

She scoffed. "Alright." Picking up the bowls, she moved to Hiccup's house and kicked open the door from a lack of free hands. It must have made a noise because she heard a grumble from both boy and dragon and smiled, putting the bowls on the meal table while Hiccup shuffled down, rubbing his eyes, as Toothless hissed at her while jumping to greet her, his mood changing when he realized who was visiting.

"You got the paint?"

"Yep. Now paint me."

He frowned. "What do you want? Colors? Design?"

"Anything that'll match Stormfly."

Hiccup nodded and tapped his chin thoughtfully for a few minutes while pacing until he dipped his finger in a blue, more the color of Astrid's eyes than her shirt. She contained a smile as he spread it carefully across her cheek, though it didn't tickle her too much. His finger pads were rough from years working with metal, but they barely scratched. He carefully watched her as he applied another stroke, this one a bit shorter, but still gliding across her face delicately. He did the other side and put on his thinking face, eyes narrowed and lips together, something she had observed over years of fighting and training with him. 

He added some orange to his fingers and added strokes in a similar pattern to the blue, carefully and gently, until he put his hands from her face and stepped away.

"You looks nice," he told her before widening his eyes and putting on a weak smile. "Um, it look nice."

She stood up. "Thanks. Do you want some?"

He flushed. "I mean, I'm not really don't much..." But Astrid shoved him lightly into a chair with a laugh and observed the colors. She wasn't as good as Hiccup with drawing and didn't want to mess up his face too much, so she just picked up some red and added two dashes on one cheek, and then the other. Hiccup kept his eyes closed the whole time and when she stepped away he smiled.

"Awesome. Now let's give them a show to remember."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Berk's Dragon Races**

Astrid smiled at the familiar feeling of Hiccup's fingertips across her cheek. He noticed and playfully hit her in the nose with a glob of orange paint.

"OH, I don't think you want to do that before a competition," Astrid snarled, wiping the paint off. "I'm going to kick your butt."

He laughed as he helped take the excess paint off. "Like you weren't going to do it anyway."

"Well, you've seen some of the nasty bruises Fishlegs has, and I actually like him. Snotlout's usually black and blue by the end." She gave him another smile, though this one was far more sinister from the last. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I already have a peg leg, there's not much more you can do to me. And Toothless is faster than Stormfly, so I'll win anyway."

"He is not," an indignant Astrid said, glaring at him as he laughed. "You've known since we were fifteen she's the only real competition you have. Meatlug is too slow, Hookfang is temperamental, and Barf and Belch are too confused by Ruff and Tuff riding them to actually do more than explode things and fly in a straight line. Stormfly, on the other hand, is precise, and much faster than Toothless, even WITHOUT chicken."

Hiccup wiped the remaining paint off his hands despite Astrid's face only being half done. "Hm, I don't know. I think Windshear is a bit more opposing than a mere Deadly Nadder, don't you?"

Astrid made a grab for him, but he just dashed forward at the same time, knocking her back onto the ground. Astrid growled as he fell on top of her. Ever since Hiccup had gotten taller he had suddenly become okay at combat, maybe not as much as her, but she still sometimes forgot and ended up underestimating him.

He perched his elbows beside each side of her face, hanging his face over hers. "I think that's a win for me."

Astrid glared at him with a fiery intensity she could swear he began to smoke, but instead he just laughed, stood up, and extended his hand to hers.

She took it, but she felt fury boiling deep inside her. She was so ready for this competition, to wreck him and show just how fast Stormfly could be when he attempted to make a jab at her dragon.

She still allowed him to finish the face paint, though, because she would look amazing while getting every single sheep possible. All while he applied it, she came up with battle tactics and a plan to get back at him, smiling to herself once again for different reasons.

When Hiccup had finished, she let him sit down as she did his paint. And in that moment, looking at him, all the thoughts of herself winning were swept from her mind and she simply remembered a moment like this three years ago, where they were far less certain and they had been fighting for the lives and the future ahead of them. She realized the future she had thought about then was the one she was living now, and she knew her past self would be proud.

Her past self would also tell herself to make Hiccup pay for his little comment, and as she finished the last stroke, she took in a breath and grinned.

"Well, now that our war paint's on, let's see who's really the best racer," she told him. 

"War paint? Are we fighting a battle?"

"Yes," she told him, looking him straight in the eyes. "Get ready to be slaughtered."

Hiccup gave her the side eye, and then quick as lightning, he dashed up from his seat and called for Toothless. Astrid laughed, feeling the thrill of competition once again, and screamed Stormfly's name, scrambling on her back as Hiccup took off, kicking dust in their face.

"Let's show him, girl," Astrid whispered in her dragon's ear, flying out behind Toothless. As she tenderly touched the paint on her face, her war paint, her invention, she smiled as she remembered the warmth of Hiccup's fingers on her face after many years. She knew that as long as she won races, she would have the paint to remind her of the warm and small things in life that her past yearned for so long. And even though she wouldn't go easy on Hiccup, there were much more important things than winning.

Young Astrid would be shocked, but this Astrid was proud. Proud of what she had learned, and what she had been able to build in these past six years, and proud of the paint on her face.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's be friends! I love ranting about this franchise
> 
> Wattpad: @heeyitsm
> 
> Tumblr: @mydramaticflare


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